A man who stabbed a co-worker to death with a filleting knife following a fight at a Co Monaghan poultry-processing factory has been given a 10 year sentence at the Central Criminal Court with the final three years suspended.
Algimantas Stankevicius (50), from Lithuania, with an address at Bridge Street, Cootehill, Co Cavan had previously been jailed for life for the murder of Arunas Petrauskas, Main Street, Cootehill, Co Cavan, in Dyan, Co Monaghan, on February 23rd,2002. However, the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned this conviction and he pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the start of his retrial last year.
A jury then cleared him of murder and convicted him of manslaughter.
Mr Justice Barry White backdated the sentence to take into account the four years Stankavicius has already served since his arrest the day after the crime.
He said an appropriate sentence in knife crimes was 14 years as he said he was of the view that society is becoming increasingly violent, adding "there is a need for deterrent sentences in cases involving the use of a knife."
However, he accepted that Stankevicius was remorseful for the crime which was out of character and that he was prepared to plead guilty to manslaughter.
Stankevicius told gardaí he had argued with the victim in the past about work practices at the factory and said the victim said he did less work, but was paid the same money.
On the evening of the killing he said he was punched in the nose by the deceased. He then ran into the factory and returned to the corridor with a knife and stabbed the victim once in the chest.
Supt Hugh Coll said he would "tend to agree" with a report from the governor of Castlerea prison that Stankavicius had expressed genuine remorse and was not likely to offend in the future.